McDyess braces for expanded role

When Antonio McDyess saw center Matt Bonner hobble off the floor in the third quarter of the Spurs’ season-opening victory over Indiana, his first concern was for Bonner’s well-being.

His second concern was for his own.

“I was like, ‘Oh my God. How many minutes am I playing now?’” McDyess said.

A 36-year-old veteran center/forward, McDyess entered his 15th NBA campaign hoping to play significantly fewer minutes than the 21 he averaged last season, especially in October. He was pressed into 19 minutes of action against the Pacers, contributing four points and six rebounds to the Spurs’ 122-109 victory.

With Bonner out again tonight with a sprained right ankle, and rookie center Tiago Splitter again not expected to play with a strained right calf, McDyess is bracing for an even heavier workload.

Injuries have reduced the Spurs to just three traditional big men — McDyess, Tim Duncan and 6-foot-8 starting center DeJuan Blair.

“I’ve got my fingers crossed,” said McDyess, who arrived at fall camp 10 pounds lighter than at the start of last season. “I hope nothing else happens to nobody.”

The big man rotation will be a puzzle for coach Gregg Popovich tonight.

One non-traditional solution could be to play more small ball, which would allow a small forward like Richard Jefferson or Bobby Simmons to absorb minutes at power forward.

Relief could be on the way for the Spurs’ depleted frontcourt. Splitter, the 6-foot-11 Brazilian who missed the preseason with injury, could be in line to make his debut in the Spurs’ upcoming road trip against the L.A. Clippers and Phoenix Suns.

For now, McDyess plans to be prepared for whatever role Popovich requires, even if he is busier than expected.

Free and easier: Jefferson went to the foul line 10 times against Indiana, a number that points to an increased aggressiveness from the Spurs’ starting small forward.

Last season, Jefferson reached double digits in free-throw attempts just twice. In 2007-08, when he averaged a career-best 22.6 points for New Jersey, Jefferson had 35 games with at least 10.

“Part of it was having a better understanding and a better feel of the schemes, the driving lanes and my teammates,” said Jefferson, who converted seven of those foul shots en route to 16 points. “It’s my second year (here) and there will be improvements across the board.”

Pace setters: One game into the season, the Spurs rank second in the NBA in scoring.

It’s doubtful they will stay there, but — judging from the opener — it’s clear the talk about wanting to push the offensive pace was more than just preseason banter.

Against Indiana, the Spurs had 103 possessions, seven more than last season’s average, and had 22 transition points.

“We’re not going to be Phoenix or Golden State,” Manu Ginobili said. “But we’re going to try to push a little bit more.”